Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Apple Numbers VS GnuPlot

Compare Apple Numbers VS GnuPlot and see what are their differences

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Apple Numbers logo Apple Numbers

Numbers lets you build beautiful spreadsheets on a Mac, iPad, or iPhone โ€” or on a PC using iWork for iCloud. And itโ€™s compatible with Apple Pencil.

GnuPlot logo GnuPlot

Gnuplot is a portable command-line driven interactive data and function plotting utility.
  • Apple Numbers Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-14
  • GnuPlot Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-13

Apple Numbers features and specs

  • User-friendly Interface
    Apple Numbers has a clean and visually appealing interface that is intuitive and easy for users to navigate, especially for those who are already familiar with the Apple ecosystem.
  • Real-time Collaboration
    It offers real-time collaboration features, allowing multiple users to work on a spreadsheet simultaneously, making it ideal for team projects.
  • Beautiful Templates
    Numbers provides a variety of professionally designed templates for different needs, like budgets, invoices, and more, which can save time and help create visually stunning documents.
  • Seamless Integration with Apple Ecosystem
    Being part of the Apple ecosystem, Numbers integrates seamlessly with other Apple apps and services like iCloud, allowing for easy syncing across multiple Apple devices.
  • Free to Use
    Apple Numbers is free to download and use on MacOS and iOS devices, which can be a significant cost-saving over other paid spreadsheet software.

Possible disadvantages of Apple Numbers

  • Limited Compatibility
    Numbers is not as widely used as Microsoft Excel, leading to potential compatibility issues when sharing files with users who are not in the Apple ecosystem.
  • Feature Limitations
    While Numbers covers basic and most intermediate spreadsheet needs, it lacks some of the advanced features and functionalities available in Excel, which can be a drawback for power users.
  • Performance Issues with Large Files
    Numbers can struggle with performance when handling very large or complex spreadsheets, which can be a downside for users working with big data sets.
  • Learning Curve for Former Excel Users
    Users who are transitioning from Microsoft Excel to Numbers may face a learning curve because of differences in interface and functionalities.
  • Limited Third-Party Integration
    Numbers offers fewer third-party integrations compared to Excel, which can be restrictive for users who rely on various external tools and add-ins.

GnuPlot features and specs

  • Highly Customizable
    GnuPlot offers extensive customization options for creating plots, allowing users to tweak almost every aspect of the graph, including colors, labels, line styles, and more.
  • Scriptable
    GnuPlot can be driven by scripts, making it convenient for automating complex plots and integrating with other software workflows.
  • Wide Range of Output Formats
    It supports many output formats such as PNG, PDF, SVG, and EPS, making it easy to generate graphics for different purposes like presentations, publications, and web content.
  • Cross-Platform
    GnuPlot runs on multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring that it can be used in diverse computing environments.
  • Complex Plotting Capabilities
    GnuPlot supports a wide variety of plots, including 2D and 3D plots, histograms, heatmaps, and more, which caters to the needs of advanced visualization requirements.
  • Performance
    GnuPlot is efficient and can handle large datasets with ease, offering fast rendering times which is crucial when dealing with complex visualizations.
  • Free and Open Source
    Being free and open-source software, GnuPlot is accessible to everyone, and users can modify the source code to suit their needs.

Possible disadvantages of GnuPlot

  • Steep Learning Curve
    GnuPlot has a complex syntax and a steep learning curve, especially for beginners who may find it difficult to get started without substantial effort.
  • Limited GUI
    GnuPlot lacks a full-featured graphical user interface (GUI), making it less user-friendly for those who prefer point-and-click interactions over scripting.
  • Documentation
    While comprehensive, the documentation can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate for new users trying to find specific information quickly.
  • Date Handling
    Handling and formatting dates can be cumbersome in GnuPlot, requiring more manual setup compared to other dedicated plotting tools.
  • Interactive Features
    GnuPlot's interactive plotting capabilities are limited compared to other modern plotting tools that offer more dynamic and real-time interactivity.
  • Integration
    Integration with some modern programming environments and languages may not be as seamless as with other plotting libraries specifically designed for those ecosystems (e.g., Matplotlib in Python).

Analysis of Apple Numbers

Overall verdict

  • Apple Numbers is an excellent choice for users within the Apple ecosystem who prioritize design and ease of use. It is particularly suitable for individuals and small teams who do not require the most advanced spreadsheet functionalities.

Why this product is good

  • Apple Numbers is a powerful spreadsheet application that is part of the iWork suite. It offers a user-friendly interface with a focus on design and aesthetics, making it especially appealing for users who need to create visually appealing spreadsheets. Numbers provides a range of templates and tools for data visualization, including interactive charts and graphs. Its seamless integration with other Apple products and services, like iCloud, allows for easy collaboration and access across different devices. However, it may lack some advanced features and compatibility that power users require when compared to alternatives like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Recommended for

  • Casual users who need to create simple to moderately complex spreadsheets.
  • Users who prefer visually appealing data presentations.
  • Individuals and teams using Apple devices that benefit from ecosystem integration.
  • Anyone who requires easy access and collaboration through iCloud.

Analysis of GnuPlot

Overall verdict

  • Gnuplot is generally considered to be a good choice for those looking for a reliable and flexible plotting tool, especially if the users need robust scriptability or work across different operating systems.

Why this product is good

  • Gnuplot is a powerful, portable, and multi-platform tool capable of producing high-quality 2D and 3D plots. It supports numerous output formats and can be used interactively or in scripts. Additionally, it has a large support community and extensive documentation, making it accessible for both beginners and advanced users.

Recommended for

  • Scientists and engineers who need to visualize data across diverse platforms.
  • Users comfortable working with command-line interfaces.
  • Individuals or teams needing to generate plots through automated scripts.
  • Those looking for a free and open-source alternative to other graphing tools.

Apple Numbers videos

Review of apple numbers (microsoft office excel alternative)

GnuPlot videos

Gnuplot Introduction

More videos:

  • Review - DTrace Latency Visualization in gnuplot
  • Review - Basics of Gnuplot - Make your plot look Good

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apple Numbers and GnuPlot)
Spreadsheets
100 100%
0% 0
Technical Computing
0 0%
100% 100
Office Suites
100 100%
0% 0
Numerical Computation
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GnuPlot seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 5 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Apple Numbers mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Apple Numbers yet. Tracking of Apple Numbers recommendations started around Mar 2021.

GnuPlot mentions (5)

  • Question about Project Management
    To some extent it extends the concept of tasks which only can be reasonably executed after the completion of other ones (though results of branches eventually may join each other) and offers an additional assisting birds' eye visual of projects. So far, I'm aware about the documentation on worg interfacing org-taskjuggler and taskjuggler, as well as a video tutorial interfacing gnuplot instead. Source: about 3 years ago
  • How do I make a transparent background on .ps or .eps file imported to groff
    Gnuplot is a program to plot diagrams. The Commands issued to use it don't change regardless if it is used in Linux/Windows/MacOS and it comes with less dependencies than a Spread sheet, or a statistics program. This is why I started to Become comfortable with it, and venture out some of its features. Here, "conditional plot" referred to "the diagram only displays a Thing/uses a pixel if the value in the table... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Drawing graphs and diagrams
    Or, does drawing diagrams refers to plotting data, but neither using matplotlib, nor gnuplot (export to .svg, .pdf, .png; pstricks, tikz to mention a few options)? Source: over 3 years ago
  • Are specific softwares avialable that are suitable for converting different diagrams, graphs and mindmaps to latex codes?
    There may the occasion you actually need the data from a publication, and want to plot them altogether with data newly collected data in one diagram in common. An overlay, though possible, can become tricky (scaling, centering, alignment, etc.) and plotting all data in a diagram generated from scratch (gnuplot/octave, matplotlib, Origin, ...) exported as an illustration in the usual formats (.pdf/.png), or... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Introducing Graphs
    Have you looked at the graphing capabilities of Octave or Gnuplot? Gnuplot in particular has a lot of options, and a GUI for those who want it. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apple Numbers and GnuPlot, you can also consider the following products

Microsoft Office Excel - Microsoft Office Excel is a commercial spreadsheet application.

Matplotlib - matplotlib is a python 2D plotting library which produces publication quality figures in a variety...

Google Sheets - Synchronizing, online-based word processor, part of Google Drive.

GeoGebra CAS Calculator - Free online algebra calculator from GeoGebra: solve equations, expand and factor expressions, find derivatives and integrals

Apache OpenOffice Calc - Calc, part of the https://alternativeto.

GeoGebra - GeoGebra is free and multi-platform dynamic mathematics software for learning and teaching.